Best selling wood projects - Fixing Your Mistakes How to Repair an Unwanted Mortice

Best selling wood projects

It happens to everyone sooner or later - that moment of lapsed concentration or simple tiredness that results in a seeming catastrophe.
We should listen to our bodies more - when the body is saying enough - and we decide that we will do just that little bit more - we create the circumstances for errors to occur.

Happened to me a few days ago at the end of the day (of course - haha)
I had cut the legs for a hall table, and had decided that it wouldnt take long to cut the mortices before I finished for the day.

The first three legs went swimmingly.  It was the final leg that ended with the same number of mortices as the other three - only one of them was on the wrong face of the leg.
That sinking feeling started when I realised that I did not have any more thick stock to make a replacement leg.
What to do?

1. Put it down
2. Turn off the power
3. Close the workshop for the day
4. Make a cup of tea and just sit a while

By the next day I had figured a solution and decided to document it for anyone else caught like I was.
First step was to cut the mortice where it should have been the first time.
Secondly - make a matching infill piece to hide that errant mortice.

Here is the offending leg with one too many mortices.
The correct mortice was cut while the leg is still square.  Now to fix the extra one.

First step is to find some matching timber.  Here I have an offcut from the current project.
The timber is silky oak.

Of course, being an offcut, it is a little rough around the edges - so some truing with my 5-1/2 plane is called for.

I am going to make a fill piece that will hopefully not be noticed too much when finished.

I am cutting this over-sized as I want to taper the plug for a tight fit.

I start by using my plane (Lie Neilsen 5-1/2 in this case) and slope one side of the tapered plug.

Next, I cut the other side at a similar taper using a rip saw - this is an Atkins.

More planing after the cut is made - and here is the tapered plug

Trial fit........

The end is rounded following the circle drawn with a pair of compasses.
Note that the circular end is also tapered.

Looks pretty snug .......

Glue-up and clamp overnight.
Trim to size and plane back flush with the surface.

Here is another shot with the colour subdued.

Bobs your uncle!
And here is the finished table awaiting lacquer:

My workshop is sooooo dusty and shavings-covered, that the lacquering will take place on the back verandah - when the wind stops (haha)

Happy shavings to all
Tom

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Best selling wood projects - Where Do You Get Your Lumber

Best selling wood projects

A question that we all have to address as woodworkers is one of supply.
Where do we source our timber?
This is a question that I am often asked, and as recently as this morning I fielded a telephone call specifically on this topic.
The obvious places, such as hardware stores and trade timber yards are fine for construction projects, but the choices are limited and prices are high.
My own experiences might be a help in guiding others to find cheaper outlets with wider variety.

Side-o-road-iata

This is a generic "species" term that all my woodie mates use to describe "found" timbers.  The species vary - but usually include branch loppings, storm damaged trees, the results of noxious tree removal, or maintenance clearing.
We have a beautiful timber here on the coast called camphor-laurel, that is a declared noxious tree and is slated for removal everywhere.  This is often available free for the collecting.
I usually keep a lookout for this kind of timber, and people know that I am interested in their tree loppings from yard clean-ups as well.

Eucalyptus train-iata

Our club house - Hastings Woodworkers Guild - is situated in Timbertown, Wauchope and this hosts a working steam train.  Daily, this steam engine uses eucalypt offcuts from numerous mills in the area.  I have lost count of the number of times a beautiful piece from the log-pile has been turned into a box or a bowl.
There are numerous wood-heaps around that are either firewood, demolitions, furniture factory offcuts etc.  All of these can yield timber for small projects.

Mills and Lumber Yards

The numbers of these wonderful hives of industry are shrinking, but there are still timber mills to be found if you look.
They are worth the drive as the selections are wide and the prices are better than retail.
We are lucky enough to have several mills within an hours drive of here, and the outing is an experience to be savoured.

Here is a one-day outing that we did recently to Botique Timbers of Rollands Plains.

A 50HP bandsawmill makes short work of slabbing this camphor-laurel log.

 Some of the club members add scale to the size of the milling equipment

At Botique Timbers, the slabbed lumber is air-dried in the open - usually covered in old galvanised iron sheeting.  This leads to some interesting warping occasionally, but the timbers are normally surprisingly straight and stable.

Burls - yes there were plenty for the bowl turners to select from.  These are normally sold by the kilogram - unlike the slabbed lumber - which is sold by the usable super-foot, or board-foot as our US cousins call it.
This is a quirky mix of metric and imperial calculations, but we have learned to be at home with them.

Advice is freely given and discussion often ensues ..........

...................... disagreements are handled with diplomacy and skill .................

 A close-up of the bandsaw mill in action - here it is just finishing the cut as the log slides past it.

Discussions about the merits of an unknown timber can arouse interest.  This is a piece of snakewood which became very popular after the briefing ................

I source much of my timber from this mill, as it is only about a half hour from my home and I have known Mal - the owner - for over twenty years.  This outing, which I organised for the club members, might just see them coming back for re-supply of their own timber needs.

I came home with a few lovely West African makore boards and some hairy oak.

A great day indeed


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Best selling wood projects - Making A Carry Case For a Large Format Camera Part 1

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Large format cameras are something of an anachronism in these days of high definition digital imaging, however they have their devotees and disciples.
They are big, cumbersome and require lots of bits and pieces - as well as a sturdy tripod.

I am going to make a carry-case for the safe storage of one of these - my Toyo-View 45G.
Currently it is still in its original cardboard and styrofoam box, but these are deteriorating and certainly wont stand up to being carted around outdoors.

 

Here is a how to:

I have selected some meranti - pacific maple - for its strength and lightness.

Edge glue some boards to make lumber of the appropriate width.

When the glue is dry, true one edge as the reference edge from which the sides will be cut square.

The six sides of what is essentially a box are laid out prior the cutting the dovetail joints for the sides and ends.

I use a Gifkins Jig to cut the tails for the dovetails first.

The completed joints look like this.

A trial fit of the carcass without top or bottom fitted.

The top and bottom will be cut out and rebated into the carcass and the whole lot glued together.
When dry I will cut off the lid on the tablesaw.

More to come in part 2

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Best selling wood projects - Bruce Wei Ukuleles A Follow Up Review

Best selling wood projects

Bruce Wei Ukuleles - A Follow-Up Review

It is now around two years since I reviewed a range of ukuleles made in Vietnam under the Bruce Wei label.
The original review is to be found here:

Bruce Wei Ukuleles - A Small Review 

 Over the intervening period, my ukulele playing has felt most comfortable on tenor sized ukes so these are the ones that have had the most use.

I have onsold to other ukulele lovers all other sized - soprano and concert ukes - that I have owned and I am left with just two Bruce Wei tenors.

 

 

This is one tenor that has really grown on me.  It has an Indian rosewood body and a spruce soundboard together with a maple neck.

 

There were many online criticisms of Vietnamese and Taiwan-made instruments some years ago, based around some perceived lack of longevity in the construction.  Specifically some users claimed that the glue joints were prone to cracking or some such.

 

 

I have never seen any evidence of this and as can be seen from these images, the instrument is still superb in its appearance.  This uke has been played many times each week - at uke groups, workshops and concerts and it looks as good as it did when new.

Even the little details like the inlay, have not shown any signs of deterioration - something that happens on cheaper instruments over time.  

As it has aged, and with playing, it has really matured in sound producing a "rounder" and warmer tone with some growth in volume and sustain. 

My favourite instrument has grown to be the Bruce Wei 8 string tenor ukulele that I purchased around Xmas of 2012.

This one is made from solid mahogany - both body and soundboard - again with maple neck and a beautiful Indian Rosewood headstock.

Neither it nor the regular tenor came with bindings as part of the body, but I notice that some of the newer Bruce Wei instruments are now offering this feature.

The inlay details are as good as before and the finish superb.

Most importantly however, is the sound.  This instrument is such a joy to play.  No buzzing, perfect intonation and a wonderful depth of sound from those Aquila strings.

It came with a very busy fretboard inlay which at first I did not like for its complexity - I prefer simpler inlays - but now I dont notice it.  It does attract a lot of comment from other ukers and audience members of course.

I thought that after some years these comparatively cheap (to buy) instruments would start to show some limitations and failings.

I could not have been more wrong.

These are high quality ukuleles built to an excellent standard.

They are sounding truly wonderful, and as a value for money instrument cannot be surpassed in my humble opinion.

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